The Philippine Online Chronicles

The terror network Al Qaeda may be shifting strategies when it comes to sowing terror around the world. An attack in various public places in the African country of Uganda seems to suggest that as separate bombing incidents left 74 people dead in the capital of Kampala. The blasts happened in a crowded restaurant in the capital and in a rugby club where people were enjoying watching the final game of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Somali terrorist cell called Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack and warns that “it is only the beginning”. The sending of Uganda of peace keepers in the highly unstable nation of Somalia has been said as the main reason why Al Shabaab attacked the soft targets of Uganda. The government of Somalia is still in tatters since the country was overrun by various political overlords and warlords in recent decades. There is a Western-backed government in place but the sheer size of Somalia has made it tough for the government to police its borders and just secure its territory. To this day, piracy has still been rampant in Somalia mostly due to the inability of the government to provide security to ships that ply the route next to the Horn of Africa.

The Al Shabaab claims that they are linked to the global terror network Al Qaeda but the latter has not gone out to recognize them as an ally in terrorism. The attack has long been a refrain by the top commanders of the Al Shabaab saying that they will retaliate for the meddling of Uganda and neighboring Burundi in the affairs of Somalia. Among the things found in one of the crime scenes was the severed heard of a man who looked like of Somalian descent – this man is now believed to be one of the suicide bombers who carried out the attack.

A spokesperson for the Al Shabaab claims that the attacks were also launched due to the Anti-Islam slant that the government of Uganda has taken. Al Shabaab commander Sheikh Yusuf Isse that more attacks would be launched if Ugandan forces continue to support the government of Somalia. Much of sub-Saharan Africa is a Christian making the north and southern portions of Africa a lot different ethnically and culturally. Northern Africa has a lot of Arab influence and Islam is by far the dominant religion.

The nation of Burundi has stepped up its security and will not be taking the threats sitting down. The country has a lot more security forces deployed in Mogadishu, Somalia so it is definitely fair game as a target for the Al Shabaab. The security in public places in the Burundian capital of Bujumbura has been increased with more visible police officers on the streets and sensitive areas of the city.

One American died as a result of the attack. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have both jointly condemned the attacks on “innocent spectators”. The targets chosen by the Al Shabaab included an Ethiopian restaurant in downtown Kampala and a rugby club – both venues were frequented by foreigners in the area. There were 11 Ethiopians and Eritreans in the official death toll figure of 74. At least 29 Ugandans are believed to have died as a result of the attack while an Irish woman was also part of the casualties. 33 of those who died have yet to be identified due to the state of the bodies.

The President of Uganda personally went to the rugby club to survey the damage and publicly denounced the “cowardly” act. He further adds that people who would like to fight should instead look for soldiers instead of going after people who were merely watching football. Ethiopia’s head of information also had similar sentiments regarding the attack. Ethiopia tried to invade Somalia in 2006 in an attempt to overthrow the radical Islamist government. What resulted was an Islamist insurgency that still rages on today.

The explosions happened just as the game between the Netherlands and Spain was about to end. According to one witness, there were only three minutes to go when the first explosion occurred.

Uganda has a lot of Somali refugees who have left their homes in an effort to escape the chaos at home. Due to the acts, many of them are fearing the worst when it comes to the retaliation of the locals.

Uganda has the third largest economy in East Africa and shares a largely unguarded border with Somalia. The attacks are believed to be a major stumbling block for corporations to invest in the landlocked country.

Despite the attacks, the Ugandan Shilling barely moved against the US Dollar. The Tourism Department considers the attacks as mere chance events that shouldn’t affect the attitude of tourists regarding visiting Uganda. It remains to be seen whether travellers will see it that way as well.